Rotary steam-engine.



F. J. WATERS.

ROTARY STEAM ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 17, 1907.

Patented July 6, 1909.

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F. J'. WATERS. ROTARY STEAM ENGINE. APP-mouton Hmm AUG. 17, 1907.

Patented July 6, 1909.

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y UNITED STATECy PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK J. WATERS, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR TO WATERS ENGINE COMPANY, OF SACO, MAINE, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

ROTARY STEAM-ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented .my c, 1909.

Application filed August 17, 1907. Serial No. 389,057.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANK J. WATERS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Providence, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented certain new Aand useful Improvements in Rotary Steam-Engines, of which the following is a specification, reference being had. therein to the accompanying drawings.

Like reference numerals in dicate like parts.

Figure 1 is a view in elevation of the piston and piston case of my improved rotary steam engine, in position in said cylinder, the cylinder being shown in longitudinal section, as seen on line y y of Fig. Fig. 2 is a view of said cylinder, piston, and piston case and associated parts, as seen. in section on line y y of Fig. 8. Figs. 3, L1, 5 and 6 are detail views. Fig. 7 isa sectional view of the piston, piston parts and a portion of the cylinder, as seen on line s z of Fig. Fig. 8 is a cross sectional view of the cylinder, ports, piston and piston parts, as seen on line c t of Fig. 2, the piston and piston parts being shown in horizontal position. Fig. 9 is a similar view with the piston and piston parts, seen in vertical position. Fig. 10 is a detail sectional view of the piston valve structure, as seen on linc W W of Fig. 2. Fig. 11 is a detail view.

My invention relates to rotary steam engines, and consists of the novel construction. arrangement and combination of the several parts as hereinafter described and claimed.

The purpose of my invention is to simplify the construction and operation of rotary steam engines. In my improved. rotary steam engine, there is only one sliding blade or piston in the piston case, and this is always of the same length; and. of invariable dimensions, the inner surface of the cylinder itself presses the single piston or blade in wardly by the contact of the ends of said piston or blade with said surface of the cylinder bore, said bore being formed in a series of eccentric, consecutive, concave, continu ous curvatures, which permit and cause such cam-like action. The cylinder of my said. rotary engine, as seen in cross section and illustrated in Figs. S and 9 may be defined as a cylinder having a bore Whose peripheral walls are equally distanced from each other on every line passing through a single point which is exterior to the geometrical center of said bore. A machine for automatically forming this peculiarly shaped bore in a cylinder is shown in my pending application for Letters Pat-ent, Serial No. 389,058, filed herewith The cylinder 1 has the annular flanges 2 at its ends, shown in Figs. 1 and 2. At each end of the cylinder 1 is a cylinder head 3, having an annular flange 4:. The flanges 3 and 4 are fastened together by bolts 5. The cylinder 1 has a base 6, provided with flanges 7, as seen. in Figs. 8 and 9. A steam inlet port 8 and a steam outlet port 9 are made through the base 6, and a steam passageway 10, 11, extends between the ports S and 9. An upward extension 12 of the main valve seat (not shown) has flanges 13. Bolts 14 fasten the flanges 7 and 13 together. A steam inlet port 15 in said extension 12 is continuous with the port 8, and a steam outlet port 16 in the extension 12 is continuous with the port 9. Each cylinder head 3 has a concentric tubular part or sleeve 17, integral therewith, to furnish a bearing for the piston case 18 and the hubs 19 and the main shaft 2O thereof. A tubular gland 21 has a flange which is secured by bolts 22 to the outer edge ol' cach sleeve 17, and presses a packing 23 to insure a steam tight fit of the main. shaft 2O in the sleeve 17, said sleeve at its outer end having its bore enlarged for that purpose, as seen at 24, in. Fig. 2.

The piston case 18 is most plainly shown in Figs. 1 and 7. The cylindrical body of the piston case, the hubs 19 and the main shaft are preferably integral, and are continuous in one axial line. A fly-Wheel and a driving pulley, (not shown) are mounted on the main shaft. The cylindrical body of the pis- A ton case has a central rectangular slot through it. In this slot are placed the two guide plates 25, which are secured by screws 26 to the body of the piston case 18 and rotate with it. The piston or blade 27 has a slot across each side thereof, in each of which slots is a packing strip or plate 28, shown separately in Fig. 6, and having two dowel A)ins 29. The piston or blade 27 has small ores to receive said dowefl pins, as seen in Fig. 7. The piston or blade 27 also has three bores on each side to receive spiral springs 30, which bear against the packing strips or plates 28 to kee the same normally spread a art into forci le contact with the guide p ates 25, as illustrated in Fig. 7. The piston 27 at each outer edge is slotted longitudinally, as seen in Fig. 2 and especially at 31 in Fig. 10. A slice-bearing strip 32 having an integral rectangular block 33, (F ig. 4) is inserted thereby into said slot. The strip 32 has a longitudinal concave seat 34 and a slot 35 at each end. A shoe or packing strip 36 end of the hub 19 by screws 65. keeper 66 is loosely mounted in a slot 1n the and is pressed against the adjacent friction i block or packing 50 by a solid ring 63, surrounding the sleeve 60, by means of spn'al springs 64, which are seated in sockets in the sleeve 60. The sleeve 60 also has an interior annular flange, by which it is fastened to the A bar or extension 1.2 and is pressed into constant contact with the pist-on case 1S, by steam, which is conducted to the under side thereof through ports 67 and 68, as illustrated in Figs. 3 and 9. In each of the steam passage ways 10 and 11 there is a block 69 held. in abutment with the keeper or bar 66, as repand one is grooved, as seen at 39, in Fig. 3,

the tongue entering the groove. The grooved end has also a socket, in which is mounted a spiral spring 40,one end of the spring pressing against the bottom of the socket, and the opposite end pressing against the end of the tongue. The shoe or packing strip 36 has at each end an integral stud or hub 41 which is 1 A concentric shown in Fig. 9, and thence aroinrd vin the semi-circular in cross section. groove 42 surrounds each hub 41, thus forining a semi-circular annular hp 43 at each end.

i steam engine is as follow-s.

The piston or blade 27 has on each side four channels 44, two near each outer end. Flach channel conducts steam to a tube 45. As seen in Fig. 10, each tube 45 has two internal annular shoulders 46. A ball valve 47 is loosely mounted in each tube 45, and is prevented from leaving said. tube by means of the annular shoulders 46. There is a hole 43 through the tube 45 and this is continuous with a bore 49 in the bottom of the slot 31 of the piston or blade 27. There are four friction plates or packings 50, one of which is separately shown in Fig. 5. lt is a rectangular block, having its outer end slightly conveXed, as shown at 51. lt has a semicircular flange 52 and a concave seat 53. A block 54 projects therefrom, which is concaved on its surface adjacent to the flange 52, thus leaving a semi-circular groove or space 55, in which is received the lip 43 of the packing strip or shoe 36 at each end. On each side edge of the piston or blade 27 there are two springs 56, each secured thereto by screws 57, and. whose free ends bear against the friction plates or packings 50, respectively. There are two friction blocks 53, each pressed against the sides of the piston blade 27 by means of spiral springs 59, which are supported in sockets in the adjacent hub 19 ofthe piston case 18. Each of the friction blocks 53 has a longitudinal groove, as seen in Fig. 11, in which groove one of the friction plates or packings 50 is mounted slidably. A tube or sleeve 60 has a bore to receive loosely each of the hubs 19, and abuts at its outer end the inner' flange 61 of the tube or sleeve 17 of each cylinder head 3. A split spring packing ring 62 is mounted on each sleeve 60 again 13()o from its first position.

resented in said figures.

The operation of my improved rotary Beginning this explanation at the time when the piston in horizontal position, as represented in Fig. 3, it is seen that the steam is passing through the ports 15, S, as indicated by the arrow. The pressure of the steam, as admitted to the cylinder 1 moves the piston from its horizontal position to the vertical position i same direction as indicated by the arrow until the piston comes to a horizontal position During the movement of the piston from said horizontal position to said vertical position the steam power is applied to the piston on an increasing exposure of the piston radially to the piston case but in moving from the vertical position to the horizontal position. 13()o from its former horizontal position, the steam power is applied to the piston on a diminishing radial exposure of the piston. The dead steam, which is on the right hand side of the piston, seen in Fig. 9, is forced out through the exhaust ports, 9, 16. This sliding or reciprocating movement of the piston in the piston case is caused. wholly by the eccentrically grooved surfaces of the bore of the cylinder 1, which have a cam like action against the edges of the piston blade 27, as the latter moves jnogressively along them in continuous but consecutive contact therewith. The oscillating shoes 36 are always in sliding contact with the peripheral surfaces of the bore throughout the entire rotation of the piston case 1S, and its shaft. This contact is made steam-tight because of the steam which passes from the cylinder bore through the channels 44 into the tubes 45, containing the ball valves 47, and thence through the respective openings 49 int-o the slots 31, where it presses outwardly the bearing strip 32, in whose concave seats 34 the slices 36 are placed. The ball 47 is driven by the live steam to the farther end of the tube 45, as shown in Fig. 10. lhen the engine is reversed, the live steam enters the tube at the right hand end, as seen in said figure and the ball forced in the opposite direction, and the piston and associated parts then rotate in the cylinder in the direction opposite to that hereinbefore described. i As the piston or blade 27 thus reciprocates, the springs 56 thereof slide upon the friction plates 50, and the friction plates 50 slide upon the friction blocks 58. The friction plates 50 abut the inner surface of the cylinder head 3, as shown in Fig. 2 and slide in the l grooves of the friction. blocks 58, shown in l Fig. 1l. l

lt is evident that a piston and piston cyll inder made substantially as hereinbefore i specified, are also e'liicient for a pump and for l other similar purposes. l

l claim as a novel and useful invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent l. In a rotary steam engine, the combination of a piston case having a central longitu dinal slot extending diametrically through it; a shaft on each end of the piston case by which it is rotatably mounted; a piston blade slidably mounted in the slot and provided with tWo channels on each Working end, a cylinder having an eccentrically shaped bore; a strip having a concave longitudinal seat and mounted at each Working end of the piston blade in a slot thereof an oscillating shoe mounted in the concave seat of each of said strips, tubes extending through the piston blade each having interior annular shouli ders and communicating with said channels respectively 5 a ball valve in each tube; and a port from each said tube to the said slots of the piston blade respectively.

2. In a rotary steam engine, the combination of a cylinder having an eccentrically shaped bore; a cylinder head at each of the i cylinders; a piston case rotatably mounted by hubs in the cylinder heads and having a i central longitudinal slot extending diametl rically through it; a piston blade slidably mounted in the slot four friction plates each l in contact with a cylinder head and each havi ing a semi-circular bearing With a concave seat and a parallel concave groove; four springs mounted on the ends of the piston blade and each bearing at its free end against one of the friction plates; and an oscillating shoe at each working end of the piston blade and having a semi-circular hub, a semi-circular groove and a semi-circular lip at each end thereof, each of which hubs is mounted v in the semi-circular bearing of one of the friction plates, said bearing extending into a semi-circular groove of said oscillating shoe. Y 3^. In a rotary steam engine, the combination of a piston cylinder having a continuously concave bore, all Whose chords, intersecting each other in line Within the bore located eccentrically to the geometrical axis of said bore, are of the same length; a piston case rotatably mounted lengthwise of said cylinder with its axis concentric With said eccentrically located line; a single piston blade of invariable dimensions mounted slidably in a longitudinal diametrical slot of the piston case and having a longitudinal recess in each of those edges adjacent to the periphery of said bore 5 a strip mounted loosely in cach of said longitudinal recesses, wholly Within said piston blade, and provided with a longitudinal concave seat on its outer edge a semi-cylindrical oscillatory shoe, mounted loosely in each of said strips in the concave seat thereof, and having a convex outer surface adapted to contact with the periphery of said cylinder bore; means for admitting g. steam pressure against the inner end of the strip in each longitudinal recess of the piston blade. i

ln testimony whereof l aflix my signature in .presence of tWo Witnesses.

FRANK J. WATERS.

Witnesses:

HOWARD LAMPREY, WARREN R. PERcE. 

